Toby Bowman (Director of C&N Plumbing Services) | Jimmy Talks Construction
Episode notes
In Episode 45 of Jimmy Talks Construction, James Starbuck sits down with Toby, Managing Director of C&N Plumbing Services, a South Australian commercial plumbing contractor celebrating 10 years in business.
Toby shares his journey from apprentice plumber to commercial plumbing business owner, including the hard lessons learned through domestic plumbing, commercial projects, remote work, civil drainage, tendering mistakes, cash flow pressure and growing a team.
This episode gets into the real issues construction business owners face every day — unpaid variations, “you’ll get paid when we get paid,” pipe shortages, labour challenges, culture, leadership, and the mental weight of being the person everyone looks to for answers.
Jimmy and Toby also discuss why C&N Plumbing Services moved further into design and construct work, the problem with consultants and delayed approvals, and why lived experience matters more than theory when it comes to running a trade business.
A must-listen for plumbers, builders, subcontractors, civil contractors, apprentices and anyone trying to grow a construction business in Australia.